Accessory compartment for lunch box



R. c. DARRAH I [ACCESSORY COMPARTMENT FOR LUNCH Box- Nov. '4, 1958 FiledNov. 13, 195 6 INVENTOR. RICHARD C. DAM/4H A T7URNEYS United StatesPatent ACCESSORY COMPARTMENT FOR LUNCH BOX Richard C. Darrah, San Jose,Calif. Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,811 2 Claims. (Cl.220-234) The present invention relates to lunch boxes, and pertains moreparticularly to a compartment which can be attached to alunch box forcarrying an additional vacuum container.

.A popular type of lunch box, which is in almost universal use byworkmen in the United States, consists of a box-like lower portion and adomed lid, with means for securing a vacuum bottle in the lid. Thevacuum bottle usually is used for coffee, but many workers find thatthey would like either additional coffee between meals, or a hot dish,such as soup or stew, for their lunch.

Since the domed lid is substantially filled by the vacuum bottlecustomarily supplied with such lunch boxes, there is no room in the boxfor an additional vacuum container for such use without seriouslycurtaining the amount of space left for solid food in the lower part ofthe lunch box.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a compartment whichcan be removably attached to a lunch box of this type to provide spacefor carrying an additional vacuum container.

The invention also provides a compartment which may be easily attachedto or removed from an end of a conventional type of lunch box, and whichconforms in cross sectional shape and operating characteristics with thelunch box to which it is connected, a handle being provided on thecompartment for connecting to the farthest end of the lunch box handleto provide balanced support for the combined lunch box and compartment.A further object of the invention is to provide an improved accessorycompartment fora domed lid lunch box.

These, and other objects and advantages of the invention, will beapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure l is a side elevationalview of a lunch box having acompartment embodying the invention removably attached thereto, twovacuum containers and a support for one of the vacuum bottles beingshown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the left hand end of the assemblyshown in Fig. 1, the upright vacuum container in the accessorycompartment being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlargedperspective view of the accessory compartment shownat the left in Fig. 1, an intermediate portion of the carrying handlebeing broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view showing theright hand portion of the lunch box handle shown in Fig. 1 with theaccessory handle connected thereto.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the interconnectionbetween the accessory compartment and the lunch box taken along line 5-5of Fig. 2.

'Briefiy, the invention provides an accessory compartment A conformingin cross sectional size and configuration with an end of a conventionallunch box B with which it is to be used. The compartment A isinterconnected by a reversely bent lip 6 to an end wall 7 of.

the lunch box, and has an elongated carrying handle 8 extending from ananchor member 9 on top of the compartment to the far end of the handle10 which is conventionally supplied with the lunch box B to provide balanced support for the entire assembly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the lunch box B comprises abox-like body 11 of sheet metal, with a domed lid 12 hingedly connectedthereto at 13. Clasps 14 and 15 are provided to hold the lid 12 inclosed condition. A conventional vacuum container C is mounted in thelid 12 by a usual supporting clip 18. The usual carrying handle 10provided on the lid 12 is attached thereto by rings 20 and 21 secured toanchor members 22 and 23 on the top of thelid 12.

The compartment A comprises a box-like body portion 24 similar in crosssectional configuration to the body portion 11 of the lunch box B. Theend wall 25 of the compartment which is intended to abut the left handend wall 7 of the lunch box B as shown in Fig. 1 is provided with aflange 28 (Fig. 5) thereon which is offset outwardly at 29 from the endwall 25 of which it is part to receive the end wall 12a (Fig. 5) of thelid 12 of the'lunch box -B between this offset flange and the lid 33of-the compartment A.

The flange 28 is bent reversely uponitself at 30 to form the. lip 6,which hooks over the upper edge of the end wall '7 of the lunch box body11. The lip 6,preferably is of a length substantially equal to that ofthe end wall 7 of the body 11 to center the extension A on the end wall25. A spacer ridge 7a is provided at the lower end of the compartmentend wall and is of the same height as the offset portion of the flange28 to space the upper and lower portions of the compartment body 24 atequal distances from the lunch box body 11.

The body 24 of the compartment A preferably is of a length substantiallyequal toits width, so asto receive a vacuum container D of predetermineddiameter therein. It is preferred that the vacuum container D for thecompartment A be of the type known as stubby which is a low, wide-mouthvacuum container best suited for holding hot dishes such as soups, stewsand vegetables, which are to be eaten with a spoon.

A lid 33 is providedfor theaccessory compartment A,

the lid 33 being of a cross sectional configuration corresponding tothat of the lid 12 of the lunch box B. A clasp 34 is provided to securethe compartment lid 33 closed, and the latter lid is hingedly connectedto the extension body 24 similarly to the lid 12 of the lunch box B.

A retaining finger 35, which may be of metal, is secured to theaccessory compartment lid 33 and extends over the lid 12 of the lunchbox proper, so that when the lunch box lid 12 is raised the compartmentlid 33 will be raised with it. However, it is apparent that the lid 33of the compartment A may be raised independently of the lid 12 of thelunch box.

Since the handle 10 of the lunch box proper B would be oif-center forcarrying the combined lunch box and compartment shown in Fig. l, theextension handle 8 is permanently attached at one end thereof to theanchor member 9 provided therefor on the compartment lid 33. This anchormember 9 is spaced inwardly from the outer end 37 of the compartment A adistance substantially equal to the inward spacing of the anchor members22 and 23 from the ends of the lunch box B with which the compartment Ais to be used. The extension handle 8 is of a length to extend from theanchor member 9 on the compartment to the farther anchor member 23 onthe lunch box.

The other end of the extension handle 8 from that attached to thecompartment A is provided with a hook 38 formed for hooked attachment tothe farther end of the lunch box handle 10, so that the combined lunchbox and compartment as shown in Fig. 1 will then be located centrally ofthe extension handle 8.

The invention provides an accessory compartment which may be easily andquickly attached to an end of any lunch box of corresponding size andshape, and which, when attached thereto, becomes substantially anintegral part of the lunch box to which it is attached. The lid 12 ofthe lunch box proper fits over the offset portion 29 of the flange 28 tohold the accessory compartment A from becoming detached while the lunchbox B is closed, and the extension handle 8 insures that.

the combination will be supported in properly balanced relation forcarrying.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be understood however, that various changesand modifications may be made in the details thereof without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. v

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An accessory compartment for a lunch box having a box-like lowerportion and having a domed, bottle receiving lid hingedly connected atits lower rear edge to the upper rear edge of the box-like lowerportion, one end of the lid and lower. portion being flat andsubstantially co-planar, the lunch box lid having a handle extendinglengthwise thereon and secured at both ends thereto; said accessorycompartment comprising a box-like lower portion, a domed lid, meanshingedly connecting the lower rear edge of the compartment lid and lowercompartment portion, an end of the compartment lid and lower portionbeing flat and co-planar and adapted to fit in close, abutting relationagainst an end of such lunch box, a hooked flange co-extensive with anupper edge of one end of the compartment lower portion and formed forhooked, supported attachment to a flat end wall of such lunch box, saidflange being formed and adapted to fit between the closed lid and an endwall of the box-like lower portion of such lunch box, means for securingthe compartment lid in closed condition, and an auxiliary handleconnected at one end thereof to the compartment lid, the auxiliaryhandle being of a length sufficient to extend beyond said one end of thecompartment a distance equal to a substantial portion of the length ofsuch lunch box, and attaching means on the free end of said auxiliaryhandle for releasably attaching the latter to the lid of such lunch box.

2. An accessory compartment for a lunch box having a box-like lowerportion and having a domed, bottle receiving lid hingedly connected atits lower rear edge to the upper rear edge of the box-like lowerportion, one end of the lid and lower portion being flat andsubstantially co-planar, the lunch box lid having a handle extendinglengthwise thereon and secured at both ends thereto; said accessorycompartment comprising a box-like lower portion, a domed lid, meanshingedly connecting the lower rear edge of the compartment lid and lowercompartment portion, an end of the compartment lid and lower portionbeing flat and co-planar and adapted to fit in close, abutting relationagainst an end of such lunch box, a hooked flange co-extensive with anupper edge of one end of the compartment lower portion and formed forhooked, supported attachment to a fiat end wall of such lunch box, saidflange being formed and adapted to fit between the closed lid and an endwall of the box-like lower portion of such lunch box, means for securingthe compartment lid in closed condition, a clip secured to the top ofthe compartment lid and extending endwise from the same end of thecompartment as that having the hooked flange thereon, and formed toclosely overlie the lid of such lunch box when the compartment is inhooked, supported engagement therewith, and an auxiliary handleconnected at one end thereof to the compartment lid, the auxiliaryhandle being of a length suflicient to extend beyond said one end of thecompartment a distance equal to a substantial portion of the length ofsuch lunch box, and attaching means on the free end of said auxiliaryhandle for releasably attaching the latter to the lunch box lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS167,648 Davis Sept. 14, 1875 2,513,218 Turnipseed June 27, 19502,610,760 Ball Sept. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 255,698 Italy Nov. 3, 1927

